Released in March of 2012 with no fanfare or even any formal acknowledgement from Apple, the iPad 2 Wi-Fi EMC 2560 is a hardware refresh of the original iPad 2 Wi-Fi (EMC 2415). Nicknamed the "iPad 2 1/2," this model is identical in outward appearance and functionality, but has some updated hardware on the inside. The primary change is an updated, smaller Apple A5, manufactured with a 32 nm process, as opposed to the older version's 45 nm A5. This smaller processor is believed to be more power efficient, potentially increasing the battery life.

This new version carries the same model number as the original iPad 2 Wi-Fi (A1395), but can be identified by a new EMC number on the back (2560) and a Model Identifier of "IPad2,4."